𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬

𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝟒𝟑

Davis sat behind his large mahogany desk, stacks of legal documents and case files spread out in front of him. The soft hum of the office air conditioning provided a steady background noise as he scrolled through emails and made notes on client cases. It was another busy day, filled with meetings, phone calls, and paperwork that never seemed to end. As a lawyer, he was used to the chaos, but today, his mind was distracted-constantly drifting back to Sadira.

He leaned back in his leather chair, running a hand through his hair, trying to refocus on the task at hand. He had a meeting with Brayden and Tariq later in the afternoon, two clients whose semi-legal business dealings always seemed to land them in tricky situations. Davis had been handling their cases for a while now, but every time he thought things were finally smoothing out, they managed to find themselves in more trouble.

"Just stay out of jail," Davis muttered to himself, scanning through some recent paperwork involving Brayden and Tariq. They had been dealing with some disputes involving a business partnership gone wrong, and Davis knew if things escalated further, they could be in real legal trouble.

His phone buzzed, pulling him out of his thoughts. He glanced at the screen-nothing urgent. But then, almost absentmindedly, he swiped to check Sadira's location. He had a habit of doing this lately, not out of control but more out of habit and concern. Sadira was always on the go, managing her bakery and her life with precision. He loved how independent she was, how passionate she was about her work, but he still liked knowing where she was, just to make sure she was safe.

Her name popped up on his screen: Brat. It was a nickname that started off as a joke but stuck, and now it felt like second nature to call her that. He smiled for a second, expecting to see her at the bakery like usual.

But when her location loaded, it showed she was home.

Davis frowned. It was the middle of the day, and Sadira almost never closed the bakery early. He glanced at the clock-just past noon. Her bakery usually stayed open until at least 6 p.m., sometimes later if she had special orders. He tapped on Google to check the bakery's hours, and to his surprise, it showed as "Closed."

"That's weird," he muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Sadira had mentioned nothing about closing the bakery early. She was always meticulous about her schedule, and if something had come up, she would have told him. His mind immediately started racing, thinking of possible reasons why she might have closed up shop early. Was she feeling sick? Was something wrong with the bakery?

The uncertainty gnawed at him.

A soft knock on his office door interrupted his thoughts. "Mr. Davis, you have a call from Brayden," his assistant, Claire, informed him.

Davis nodded, but his mind was elsewhere. He stood up, loosening his tie as he walked over to the window of his corner office, which overlooked the bustling city streets below. The tension in his chest started to build. Brayden could wait for a few minutes. He grabbed his phone again, this time scrolling through his messages with Sadira. Nothing new. She hadn't texted him all morning.

He quickly dialed her number, the phone ringing longer than usual before going to voicemail. His gut twisted. Something felt off.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to push the anxiety down, but his instincts were screaming at him. Maybe she just needed a day off. Everyone deserved a break. But no, that didn't sit right with him. Sadira loved her bakery. She wouldn't just close it early without a reason.

Davis grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, telling Claire he'd be stepping out for lunch. He needed to check on her-just to be sure everything was okay.

As he drove toward Sadira's place, the rain from earlier had tapered off, leaving the streets wet and shiny. The gray clouds overhead seemed to mirror the unease that had settled in his chest. His hands tightened around the steering wheel, his mind running through different scenarios. Maybe she was just at home resting. Maybe it was nothing. But the silence on her end was unlike her, and it was making his thoughts spiral.

He pulled up outside her building and parked, his eyes immediately scanning the street. Everything looked normal-no signs of trouble or commotion. But still, his heart wouldn't stop racing. He stepped out of the car and headed for the entrance, his mind still buzzing with concern.

As he reached her floor, his fingers hovered over the doorbell for a second, hesitating. He wasn't trying to come off as overbearing, but the worry was gnawing at him now. He rang the bell, waiting for a response, but there was nothing. He tried again. Still nothing.

Frowning, Davis knocked on the door this time, louder.

"Sadira, you in there?" he called out, his voice more tense than he intended.

After a few moments, he heard the soft sound of footsteps from inside. The door opened slightly, and there she was, standing there with a sleepy expression on her face. She looked like she had just woken up, her blonde hair slightly tousled.

"Davis? What are you doing here?" she asked, rubbing her eyes and stepping aside to let him in.

He stepped into the apartment, immediately feeling the warmth compared to the cool, damp air outside. His eyes scanned the room quickly-everything seemed normal. But something still didn't sit right with him.

"You weren't at the bakery," Davis said, his voice low as he watched her carefully. "It's closed."

Sadira blinked, as if realizing what he was saying. "Oh, yeah. I wasn't feeling great this morning, so I decided to close up early," she explained, walking over to the couch and sitting down.

Davis stood there, watching her for a moment longer. Something about her tone seemed off. Sadira was the type of person who powered through everything. She never let a little exhaustion stop her, especially when it came to her bakery.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, moving closer, his eyes narrowing slightly as he searched her face for any signs of discomfort.

"I didn't think it was a big deal," Sadira said, leaning back into the couch cushions. "I just needed a break, that's all."

Davis sat down next to her, his hand resting on her knee. "You sure? You didn't answer your phone either."

She gave him a small smile, reaching for his hand. "I'm fine, Davis. I promise. I just turned my phone on silent and crashed. I guess I needed some sleep."

Davis nodded, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He leaned in, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "You know you can talk to me, right? If anything's bothering you."

Sadira looked up at him, her eyes softening. "I know. And I will, I promise. Today just wasn't a good day. I'll be back to normal tomorrow."

He kissed her forehead, feeling a bit of the tension leave his body, but the unease still lingered at the back of his mind. He wasn't sure if it was his overprotective side kicking in, but something about the situation didn't feel right.

Davis stayed with her for the rest of the afternoon, cooking lunch together and watching movies in comfortable silence. But even as they sat there, wrapped up in each other's presence, his mind couldn't fully relax.

As the hours passed, he couldn't help but think back to that moment when he checked her location, the bakery unexpectedly closed, and the odd feeling that had settled in his chest. He made a mental note to check in on her again tomorrow-just to make sure everything really was okay.